How to apologize to the client in order to save both his goodwill and the reputation of the company? Read the article.

You will learn:

• Who and for what should apologize to the client.
• How to apologize to a client in a letter.
• How to write an apology letter in English.
• How to apologize to a client over the phone.
• When you don't have to apologize to a client.

If you apologize and do it competently, then there is a good chance to come to mutual respect and continue cooperation. To resolve the situation, you need to follow simple rules and use the code phrases that you will find in our article.

An example of a letter that you can use as an apology to a client was prepared by the editors of the Commercial Director magazine.

How to apologize to the client and who should do it

Suppose you need to write an apology letter. The main rule: you should only do this if you are really to blame. Moreover, every self-respecting company should have the ability to admit its own mistakes and the desire to correct them. Such behavior is dictated by modern business ethics. If you apologize to the client correctly and do it on time, you can not only save your reputation, but also avoid losses: people will not leave you for competitors. Such actions can make the client change his mind and not bring the case to court, and can help avoid unnecessary publicity. Moreover, all phrases in them must be imbued with sincerity.

A letter of apology should be written in the following cases.

• If you have violated the obligations under the contract. This is usually the most common cause, and the affected party can be both organizations and individuals, the ratio here is about 50/50. But keep in mind: it is quite possible that in this case only one letter will not be enough. To properly apologize to a customer, send them a gift, give them a discount, etc.
• If someone from the staff of your company behaved incorrectly towards the client. Apologies in such a situation are simply necessary, because each employee speaks on behalf of the organization, and his behavior in one way or another is reflected in the image of the company.
• In case of force majeure. From unforeseen situations no one is insured and never. The correct apology to the client in this case should include an explanation of the causes of the problems that arose, an explanation that the circumstances did not depend on you.

You can download a sample letter that will help correct a negative situation with a client at the end of the article.

Below is a table that indicates who and how should apologize to the client.

To properly apologize to the client, you need to understand the consequences of the mistake made. It also depends on who and how should apologize.

Minor flaws are not so rare. The head of the company may not even be aware of what happened, and the client will not raise unnecessary noise because of them. In this case, the correct apology of the manager of the company to the client or his representative is quite enough.

Average miscalculations are a more serious matter, requiring an apology from the leader personally. And managers are well aware that their boss has to answer for their mistake. Responsible employees in this case burn with shame and are ready to do anything so that there are no more such failures in their work. Managers punish themselves, and therefore it makes little sense to understand what happened.

Major blunders are those in which the company may lose a customer. And here one correct apology is not enough. This must be done twice. For the first time, the manager must apologize officially - on behalf of the entire company. You should call the head of the client company and repent with all possible sincerity. If it is not possible to contact the victim (he is so offended that he does not want to talk), then the leader with his deputies can go to a personal meeting. In its course, not only the director, but also the top manager of the company should apologize. This will make it clear to the client that he is truly appreciated, and the deputy will be a good lesson for the future. For an apology to be “proper,” it must be repeated informally. For example, you can invite the victim to a restaurant, where, during lunch or dinner, he once again admits his mistake (together with a top manager). It is also recommended to give tickets to a concert of a popular artist, organize a hunting or fishing trip.

Remember: if you apologize to the client correctly, then in the vast majority of cases he will forgive you.

19 Phrases to Calm Annoyed Customers

The editors of the Commercial Director magazine have prepared a list of phrases that will be useful to managers during a call or meeting in order to win over the client and eliminate his wariness.

How to apologize to a client by choosing the right wording

There are three types of apologies most commonly used:

• Sorry;
• accept an apology;
• I'm sorry.

The first option is a soft apology to the person. From the point of view of psychology, such an appeal shows weakness and error on your part, you really ask for forgiveness for a certain action.

It is recommended to use this form if you trust the person, you are sure that the apology will be received adequately. If you really feel like you've made a mistake, it's correct to admit your mistake to the client using the words "sorry", "sorry please", "sorry for our mistake", etc.

If the situation is different and your fault is not so obvious, then it is better to use a formal business style in communication. In this case, there is a good chance that the person at the subconscious level will accept your apology immediately, without unnecessary conversations.

The phrase “please accept our apologies” seems to encourage a person to unconditional action: he is simply obliged to fulfill the request, without going into unnecessary details of what happened.

Sometimes the right words can stop a conversation or correspondence taking an unpleasant turn. For example, if you feel possible guilt behind you, but it is important for you not just to forgive the client, but his unconditional forgiveness, then the phrase “accept our apologies” fits here perfectly. It makes a person subconsciously agree with you and end the matter in peace.

And the third case. If you want to properly apologize to the client, then the word "sorry" in this case will not be the best option.

First, it is lexically illiterate. The original meaning of this word was to apologize to oneself. True, in the course of the evolution of the language, the meaning has changed, the word has been used as a form of apology to another person, but still it is better not to use it. Secondly, this word not only sounds somewhat familiar, but has a certain justifying connotation. A person, having heard “I apologize” from you, will be psychologically ready to attack further. It would be correct to exclude this word form from communication with customers altogether.

How to apologize to a client: step by step instructions

Step 1.Listen carefully to the person and make a promise to resolve the issue

The client is not right in every case. But, even if he is wrong, he does not need to point it out yet. Act as a psychotherapist. If you listen to the interlocutor and promise to help, it is quite possible that he will be satisfied with this.

There are situations when the conflict becomes more and more violent due to the fact that the right side makes mistakes. You need to try to understand what exactly irritates the problem client.

Step 3Recognize the error of the actions of employees of the company

It will be right to apologize to the client even for insignificant trifles. If a person considers them important, go forward and agree with him on this issue.

Step 4Express regret

For some people with a difficult character, it is not enough to admit a mistake has been made. They need to make sure that you, having hurt, are upset and regret what happened. This emotional connection helps break down barriers.

Step 5Ask how you can make amends

There are two possible scenarios for the development of events. If a person is adequate, then he will apologize. A very angry client may not want to make contact. But it is necessary to ask what is needed for reconciliation.

Step 6Wait for the person to calm down and offer to return to the conversation

Some people do not cool down immediately, you need to let them recover. From time to time check the client's condition, and as soon as he calms down, offer to resume cooperation. Promise that there will be no more such mistakes on your part.

Tip 1.Don't be afraid to admit a mistake

Such a step will please the client and will be useful for you. If mistakes are not acknowledged, they may be repeated in the future.

It is not necessary to calculate who and to what extent is to blame for the current situation. If an accident occurs, first of all it must be eliminated, and only then debriefing should be carried out. If you want to leave the most positive impression with a client or business partner, then show generosity, nobility and generosity.

To properly apologize to a client in this situation, use the following phrases:

• We are sorry that the service we offered did not satisfy you.
• We understand your dissatisfaction - you really have been waiting for a very long time.

Tip 2.Be Specific

If you use general phrases, then this will anger the client even more. Make a specific offer on how to solve the problem: repair the product, replace it, return the money.

Here are the phrases that come into play:

• If you don't mind, then in return we offer ... We will contact the service department, and the process will definitely be optimized.
• We thank you for helping us identify the issue. The technical department will immediately develop a set of measures that will no longer allow queues to accumulate.

Expert opinion

Viktor Nagaytsev,

CEO, PerfectSEO, Moscow

Go beyond words, making amends to the client

We had to move to a new office, and to do it without prior preparation. For several days we set up the equipment and laid out the papers. Customers about our move were notified personally. For those who could not be contacted, we sent letters - regular and electronic. To keep the work going, our employees had to work remotely for several days.

Some time later, one of our clients received a phone call informing him that he intended to terminate the contract. The reason is the letters that came very late, and he did not find a notice of the move on the company's website. The contract was terminated, and the man worked with our competitors for three months after that.

We analyzed the site owned by the client and found out that the work carried out with it is absolutely not enough to enter the top 10. I contacted the client and made an appointment. On it, I conveyed to him the conclusions of our analysts, but the person was not yet ready to change the company. He said that he himself often holds conferences for colleagues and new clients, and gives them lectures. On my part, a proposal was made to rent premises for free for these events, especially since our office was quite free, with spacious halls. The argument worked and the client returned to our company.

Tip 3.Make it clear that the incident is an exception

If the client is politely convinced that what happened is an unpleasant exception to the rule and you make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again, the person can turn his anger to mercy.

The correct apology to the client in this situation might sound like this:

• People almost never complain about the shortcomings of our service. There are many positive reviews about our company, you can see for yourself. The situation in which you find yourself is an unfortunate misunderstanding. And this won't happen again.
• The fact that our consultant made you wait so long is nothing more than an unfortunate accident. We will make sure this never happens again.

Tip 4.Be objective

There is no need for unnecessary drama and phrases like: “What happened to you is a nightmare!”. Such words will only reinforce the negative feelings of the client, who is already not in the best mood.

But also excuses in the style of “It would be something to worry about!” also not necessary. If you say, “Defective product? It happens, it's okay, ”then drop the image of the company in the eyes of the client. In addition, such phrases are often perceived by people as a reproach: “Is it worth making a fuss over such a trifle?”

The correct way to apologize to a client is to:

• We are sorry that the order delivered to you has lost its presentation.
• The company apologizes that you had to wait so long.

Tip 5. Show interest

Indifference to complaints is the biggest mistake employees make. If, in your opinion, the claims are unfounded, then it will be correct to explain in detail why they are rejected. To remain silent in response to accusations, or to respond by deliberately pausing, is to show disdain for the client. Such arrogance of the staff is bad for the image of the company.

It is necessary to behave calmly and benevolently, showing a willingness to delve into the essence of the claim. Even if you cannot solve the problem on the spot, you need to make it clear to the client that you took his issue seriously and will do everything possible to resolve it in the near future. If necessary, provide the person with a written apology.

The correct way to apologize to the client can be with the help of phrases:

• We're sorry we weren't able to meet your expectations. We will definitely identify the causes of what happened and ... In the meantime, we can offer you ...
• In order to compensate you for the long wait, we offer… As compensation, would you like to use…

Expert opinion

Elena Kirillova,
director of training programs at Training Media, Moscow

Apologize only for valid claims

Apologies should be made only when the claims are justified. The client expects you to apologize and is even willing to forgive. It’s good if you also thank the person for helping to identify the shortcomings, because this will give you a chance to avoid mistakes in the future. Such an apology to the client would be correct.

But do you need to apologize if you are not to blame? Here you can choose a slightly different verbal formula: "We are very, sorry that ...". The regret expressed by you will make it clear to the person that you are not indifferent to the current situation and are interested in further cooperation.

How to apologize to a client in writing

An apology letter can be called the most difficult type of letter; when compiling it, you must follow certain rules. Often you have to ask for forgiveness for mistakes that you have nothing to do with. And if there is guilt, then you need to somehow cope with moral torment. A well-written letter needs a certain balance: in no case should an apology negatively affect the company's image and at the same time should serve to restore relations with a client or partner.

If you are really guilty, then you can not do without an apology. A serious company should be able to admit its mistakes and be ready to correct them at any time. The purpose of such a letter is not only to properly apologize to the client, but also to restore the reputation - personally or of the company.

With the help of an apology letter, conflicts that are gaining momentum are smoothed out, mistakes of colleagues are minimized. In general, a good manager must anticipate the possibility of disagreements and try in every possible way to prevent an incident from developing.

An apology letter is required in the following cases:

• You have violated contractual obligations.
• You behaved not too correctly in relation to people working for the counterparty company. Moreover, the motives of such behavior do not play any role.
• Employees of your company in any situation did not behave in the best way, and this became known to the public. An example is such a case. The flight attendant of one domestic airline in her personal blog did not comment too correctly on the recent crash of an airliner. She was fired, but in addition, it was necessary to write an apology letter and place it in the most famous media.

If you really want to apologize to the client correctly, then you need to write such a letter, even if force majeure circumstances are to blame. It will only benefit the company's image.

An apology letter and a regular business letter are very similar in form. Be sure to mention the addressee, the subject of the letter and go to the actual appeal. The emphasis on the fact that this is an apology should not be made in the subject line of the letter. It is better either not to indicate it at all, or to make it as neutral as possible, for example: "On the terms of the contract under contract No. 1058." Also, there is no need to tell who is the originator of the letter. Let it go under the signature of the top manager of the company. The main thing here is not to overdo it with formalities.

Apologizing to a client will give the right impression if the recipient is sure that the head of the firm is aware of the situation and is ready to personally apologize for the incident.

After compiling the letter, it must be printed on a corporate letterhead, taken to the head for signature, registered and sent to the desired address.

The letter of apology should consist of 3 parts: introduction, body and conclusion. Of course, in terms of meaning there will be much more parts:

• the first sentence should contain the actual apology;
• after that, the causes of the problem are explained;
• followed by assurances that all necessary measures have been taken;
• after all, the hope is expressed that the incident will not interfere with further joint work.

1st paragraph. An apology is made, but only once, in the very first sentence of the introduction. Then the main text begins.

2nd paragraph. The main part of the letter contains an explanation of the reasons for what happened. And it is imperative to talk about them. Some phrases like “little problem”, “random delay” are better not to use. It doesn't matter how you personally feel about it. There is no place for such phrases in an apology letter, as they can spoil the image of the company.

3rd paragraph. Try to let the recipient know that you are upset and sorry about what happened. But the word "sorry" and its synonyms no longer use. The main thing is to instill confidence in the person that the leader is concerned about the incident and has taken control of the matter.

The next sentence should describe the action taken. In no case should you write: "The perpetrators will be held accountable" or "We will analyze the situation." No future tense! A proper apology to the client assumes that you have already figured out everything and people who made a mistake are punished.

In conclusion, it must be said that such situations will not arise again, and express hope for further fruitful cooperation.

Together with a letter of apology to the injured party, you can send a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of good wine - but only if it is appropriate.

Such letters, properly composed, will allow you to keep a client or even get a permanent partner.

• Thank You Letter to a Client: Writing Rules and Samples

Expert opinion

Ivan Trufanov,

CEO of Werbary, Moscow

Write a letter of apology by hand

Once we accidentally offended a client, and I wrote him a letter of apology by hand. He asked for forgiveness for what happened. He informed me about the measures taken to ensure that this situation does not happen again. The letter looked something like this:

“Hello, Sergey Sergeevich! I understand that you are uncooperative because of our mistake. It became clear to us that you were not satisfied with the behavior of Ivan Ivanovich. This employee has been dealt with (or fired). To avoid such problems in the future, we have made changes to the internal regulations. I apologize to you and express the hope that you will resume cooperation with us.”

The letter was sealed in an ordinary white envelope and sent by courier. At the top of the envelope, they wrote by hand: “We are guilty, but we have corrected ourselves.”

The idea is simple: after seeing the inscription, a person will be interested in who exactly was guilty before him. Of the three clients, one returned immediately, while the rest promised to think about resuming cooperation.

Phrases used in apology letters

If there was a delay in the delivery of goods, then you can correctly apologize to the client using the following phrases:

• Sorry that there was a delay in the delivery of goods. This is solely our fault. We apologize for the inconvenience.
• Your order dated… (date) arrived late at our transport department. It happened by mistake of the office manager. Please accept our apologies for the situation, we promise to pay special attention to your orders in the future.
• Your order did not arrive on time due to the error of the employee who worked with it. Please excuse us for the delay.
• Our production department misplanned the schedule for shipping goods, which is why the failure occurred. We apologize for the situation.
• We had certain production difficulties, so we did not meet the pre-agreed deadlines. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused to you.
• We must ask your forgiveness for the late execution of the order from ... (date).
• After carefully reviewing all your orders, we are convinced that an unfortunate mistake has been made. We express our sincere hope that you will forgive us for it.
• Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We hope that this misunderstanding will not affect our further cooperation.
• We guarantee that we will make every effort to ensure that such a situation does not happen again in the future.

Correctly apologize to the client for the delay in paying bills as follows:

• The negligence of our accounting department is to blame for the fact that your invoices were not paid on time. The situation will be corrected immediately. We apologize for the delay.
• When registering your account from ... (date), our accounting staff made an error, so payment from our side was not received. Sorry for this misunderstanding, which will be corrected immediately.
• We instructed the bank to transfer the money to you, but, unfortunately, it did not do it on time. We apologize for the situation.
• We sincerely regret that your account has remained unpaid for a long time. We apologize for our inattention.
• Due to a personnel reshuffle in our accounting department (accounting department moved to a new office), payment of bills was greatly delayed. We apologize.
• We ask you to forgive us for errors in the work of our accounting department. We will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again.
• An unfortunate mistake has occurred due to the negligence of our employee. We sincerely apologize for her.
• We are grateful for your reminder of an unpaid invoice dated ... (date) that was incorrectly registered. Sorry for the inconvenience (unnecessary excitement) caused to you due to the mistake of our employees.
• After our telephone conversation with you, we carefully checked all the accounts and indeed found a mistake, for which we sincerely apologize. We do not justify our inattention, but we hope that this will not interfere with our further cooperation.
• Once again, we apologize for the delay in payment. We guarantee that we will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again in the future.

The following phrases will help to correctly apologize to the client for a delay in responding or for being late for a meeting:

• We apologize for being late to the meeting.
• This meeting is very important for us. We sincerely regret that it did not take place.
• Please forgive me for wasting your time.
• I was sure that our meeting was scheduled for ... (date). I'm sorry to have caused you any inconvenience, and would like to ask, if you don't mind, to set up another meeting - at any time convenient for you.
• Sorry for making you wait in vain. Would you like to meet again? I will be sincerely grateful for this.
• Sorry for the delay, I'm very uncomfortable.
• I sincerely apologize that you had to wait for my response to your invitation to participate in…
• I am sincerely sorry that I was not able to respond to your invitation in time. I am very grateful to you for it, but...
• We apologize for the delay in responding, due to...

4 tips on how to properly apologize to a client in a letter

Following the tips below, you can easily compose any letter of apology correctly.

1. Show respect

In order for a client to start respecting you, you need to take the first step. Greet the person and check that their name is spelled correctly. It is worth making a mistake even in small things, and the impression of the letter will be irrevocably spoiled. Moreover, the client may no longer want to do business with you.

2. Show sincerity

Without sincerity, a proper apology to the client is impossible. If you, after a mistake, think that everything will be fine without an apology, then you do not regret what happened at all. But, having overcome yourself and taking up the letter, try to explain to the client the reasons for this situation. Do it gently and without unnecessary details. If you overdo it with excuses, the person may doubt that you are truly sorry.

Don't take back what you've done. Instead of wasting time on unnecessary worries, consider: how can you rebuild relationships? Promise that this situation will not happen again, ask the client to forget about the unpleasant incident. You must understand that if the offense is serious enough, then the person will need time to calm down and accept your apology. But if the letter is written correctly, then the chances of resuming cooperation will be good.

4. Recheck what you wrote

Re-read the letter immediately after writing it to check it for grammatical and spelling errors, poorly constructed phrases. If you want to really apologize to the client, then try to put yourself in the place of the offended person. Is the meaning of what is written well understood? What emotions will the client experience when reading your letter? You need to try to pick up such phrases so that they not only sound right, but also touch the right strings in a person’s soul.

How to apologize to a client in a letter in English

An apology letter is written not only to ask for forgiveness for a mistake, but also in response to a letter of complaint. In what form should it be written? First of all, you need to say that you are sorry about what happened, to express personal concern about the situation. Then inform the recipient about the actions taken to resolve the problem and eliminate the possibility of a recurrence of the incident. To correctly apologize to the client, use phrases composed in a certain way.

1. Thanks to the client for drawing your attention to the current state of affairs, write:

• Thank you for bringing the matter / issue / problem to our attention. (We express our gratitude to you for drawing our attention to this case / issue / problem).
• I appreciated your advising me of this incident… (I appreciate that you informed me about this incident…).

1. To express regret, the following constructions are suitable:

• We are very sorry to hear that… (We are very sorry that…)
• I am very sorry for this situation. (I am very sorry about this situation).

1. The correct way to apologize to a client is to:

• We apologise for… (We apologize for…)
• Please accept our apologises for… (Please accept our apologies…)

1. Don't forget to let us know what you've done:

• Please be assured that we will… (We assure you that we will…)
• You have my assurance that… (I give you a guarantee that…)
• To compensate for the inconvenience caused… (To compensate for the inconvenience caused…)
• We are doing everything we can do to resolve the issue. (We are doing our best to resolve the issue).
• I can assure you that this will not happen again. (I can assure you that this will not happen again).
• I am trying to sort it out / sort the problem out as a matter of urgency. (I'm trying to figure this out / urgently solve this problem).
• Please return the faulty goods, and we will refund you / repair them / replace them. (Please return the defective item and we will refund/repair/exchange it).

1. After you have apologized to the client, let him know that continued cooperation is very important to you:

• Your satisfaction is our priority. (Your satisfaction is our priority).
• We value your custom highly. (It is very important for us to cooperate with you).

The table below shows a few more common phrases that can be used in an apology letter.

How to apologize to a client over the phone

Employees of some organizations (for example, call centers, technical support, etc.) are often forced to talk with negatively minded customers. Listening to complaints and politely responding to them is not at all easy, such work requires a certain amount of experience.

How to talk to a person who actively expresses his dissatisfaction? There are several universal rules. They are suitable for any activity in which communication with the client is not one-time, but requires constant interaction with him.

Of course, there are cases when a person has every right to be dissatisfied: the quality of a product or service does not correspond to the declared one, the order was not completed within the promised time frame, etc. But it is one thing to calmly make claims, and quite another to shower insults or even threaten the interlocutor to him. To properly apologize to such a client, it is not enough to have iron endurance. You can't do without certain skills.

Let's say you're an ISP tech support employee. If problems arose in several houses at once, and even areas, then a flurry of calls from annoyed users immediately follows. In order not to drown in negativity, you need to correctly build a conversation with customers. To do this, follow a few simple rules.

Rule 1Don't take insults personally.

Remember: the client is not dissatisfied with you personally, but with your company. You do not need to emotionally react to all the words spoken, you need a figurative barrier between you and the interlocutor.

If the client goes beyond all boundaries and begins to use obscene expressions in his speech, then warn him that you will be forced to end the conversation, and hang up. Many companies allow such actions by regulation.

Rule 2When the complaint is justified, apologize to the client, and do it right.

Moreover, you need to do this at the very beginning of the conversation, even if the answer is rude, like: “What is the use of your apology?”

Many operators do not like to apologize, because in a psychological sense it is humiliating for them. They believe that asking for forgiveness means losing, defeating.

But this psychological barrier is easy to remove. Just think and realize: you are not to blame for anything, the company apologizes in your face. Your area of ​​responsibility is completely different: you must reassure the client by correctly informing him of the state of affairs.

Rule 3Don't put the blame on other employees.

It would seem that sometimes the easiest way is to shift the responsibility to others: “This is a question for the repair team, they did something wrong!” Or: “I couldn’t say that! It must have been a different operator, one of the new ones.” You can't do that.

Instead of doing the right thing and apologizing to the client, you admit your incompetence and at the same time destroy the image of the company.

It would be better to say:

• I apologize that our staff misled you. Let's try to figure it out together.
• Sorry that the company's technicians are delayed. Perhaps there are good reasons for that. I'll contact the right department and get back to you right away.

Rule 4Do what you promised and don't test the patience of your customers.

After assuring the person that you will call back within a certain time, keep your word. Even if by the right moment you have not received the necessary information, still contact the client and say that his problem is being solved. A person, having convinced himself of the commitment of employees and feeling that he is not indifferent to them, will treat the company more loyally.

One more thing. You need to take a call from a client immediately, regardless of your well-being or mood. A person who has been waiting for an answer for a long time will have time to wind himself up, which will negatively affect further communication.

Rule 5Never use the phrase: "I don't know."

Rule 6To reduce the heat, return the conversation to the right track, find out the essence of the problem.

To properly apologize to the client, you need to know what exactly you need to apologize for. By asking him to tell you exactly what he is dissatisfied with, you will make him think about it and switch to a constructive one. But try not to ask the person questions that he finds difficult to answer. This can provoke a new outbreak of negative emotions.

Rule 7Communicate with the client in his language.

The language you speak is full of specific terms. And an outsider may not understand them. The client is an ordinary Internet user, he does not delve into technical problems. How many people know exactly how the TV works? It's the same here. If a person does not understand the meaning of what was said, he begins to get nervous, to believe that he is being treated down. And this situation may be fraught with a new conflict.

Whatever firm you work for, there are many typical complaints that a client can make. But, no matter what the discussion is about, you need to learn how to properly conduct a conversation, correctly apologize to customers and in no case provoke people to continue the conflict. Here, pre-defined conversation modules can help, which the operator sees in front of him and which, if necessary, can use.

But, no matter how skillfully you conduct a conversation, keep in mind one thing: the client's problem must be solved, and as soon as possible. If this is not done, then even the most correct and sincere apologies will not be able to save the situation.

When an apology is not needed

If the person’s claims against the company are justified, then you must control the situation, behave politely, calmly and, as a result, apologize to the client properly. But sometimes you don’t need to ask for forgiveness, as this will only add fuel to the fire and an irritated client will become even more aggressive.

Here it is necessary to build a conversation in the right way, using the “action - causes - timing” scheme. For example, if a person is unhappy with a delay in the delivery of goods, say: “I should / should call the transport company so that they expedite the arrival of the goods. This unpleasant situation arose due to the fact that it was necessary to re-register some documents. Literally in a day, the order will arrive at the address you specified. Or you can use another option: “I will now contact the technical department to have your computer connected. There was a server failure, which was the cause of the misunderstanding. The error will be corrected as soon as possible."

If you want to properly apologize to the client, then try not to use expressions like: "We had to ...", "Be patient a little ...", etc. It would be better to say: "Your problem is being solved, and we will keep you updated." If necessary, when ending the conversation, tell the client that you are sorry.

Sometimes you come across not quite adequate people whose goal is to provoke you into a quarrel. Some find fault with trifles, others are just rude. This can be caused by a variety of circumstances: someone did not receive the expected “rollback”, someone overestimates their importance as a client, someone just has psychological problems.

In dealing with such people, use the “questioning technique”. Do not let the provocateur "emotionally connect" to you, do not enter into a verbal skirmish. Follow a simple pattern: the person's question, your reaction to it, then a counter-question implying a positive answer, followed by a favorable conclusion.

For example, the following conversation is going on:

• Customer: Can you guarantee timely delivery of the order?
• Manager: Of course, everything will be as written in the contract. The cargo will be delivered to your warehouse by 17.00 on Thursday. Do you remember what the terms were?
• Client: Of course I do.
• Manager: It's very nice that we agreed on this issue, especially since we have the same goal. Surely everything will work out for the best.

A similar conversation scheme can be used several times, if necessary. The main thing is to direct the conversation in the right direction and not allow the provocateur to seize the initiative.

Sometimes there are situations when it is not possible to apologize to the client correctly, and in order to resolve the issue, one has to contact the head of the provocateur. It is not necessary to describe the situation again, as the boss has already listened to the version of his subordinate.

The main thing here is to convince the manager of his competence and make sure that his employee is put in his place. The scheme of the conversation should look like this: action - demand - pause - "the problem needs to be solved" - an agreement on the timing.

The conversation with the client should be held in a neutral business tone. You can’t put pressure on a person, but it’s also not recommended to bypass the “corners”. It is worth giving up at least a little, and the client, sensing your weakness, will go on the attack. And such a development of events will not at all contribute to a constructive conversation.

• All types of manipulative tricks in business and ways to protect against them

Information about experts

Elena Kirillova, director of training programs at Training Media, Moscow. TRAINING MEDIA company. Year of creation: 2001. Services: creation of educational video materials (courses, films, trainings, multimedia programs) that carry a positive business culture; conducting corporate trainings (www.tmedia.ru). Clients: more than 400 companies, including MTS, Indesit Company, Ingosstrakh, OJSC ROSNO, Marriott hotel chain, IKEA. Staff: business unit - 13 people, project team - up to 30 people.

Viktor Nagaytsev, General Director of PerfectSEO, Moscow. Viktor graduated from the Moscow Open Technological Institute (Department of Economics and Management). Since 2004, he has been engaged in search marketing and website promotion. Created the Maketrust.ru website promotion service, as well as the semi-automatic PR and Internet advertising service SeoProvider.ru. Author of the book “The Key to Promotion. How to bring the site to the first position ”(M .: Berator-Pablishing, 2009). "PerfectSEO" LLC. Field of activity: Internet promotion services (search engine promotion, contextual and media advertising, viral and reputation marketing, etc.). Territory: head office - in Moscow, branches - in Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don. Number of employees: 53. Annual turnover: about 3 million US dollars.

You screwed up. The client is furious and does not want to talk to you. And if he wants, then only with little-known phrases that are not always pleasant to hear.

Yes, there are clients who make a molehill out of a fly or create a problem from scratch. You need to say goodbye to them forever and be glad that there is a black list that helps to permanently delete a person from clients.

But if you really messed up and want to fix the situation, you need to act differently.

Someone once said: "Inaction breeds destruction". There is truth in this. To avoid destruction, let's take action.

With a brewing conflict, you need to quickly smooth out the corners. In experienced companies, they feel when a client is dissatisfied and is preparing to strike with a claim on all fronts of the venues. This is at best. After all, there are still regulatory bodies to which he can apply so that they visit you and punish you properly, according to the letter of the law.

The ideal option in this case is that the client simply stops cooperating with you and does not make noise anywhere. I just forgot about you. He doesn't have time for litigation.

However, situations are different. Therefore, it is always better to take the initiative in your own hands and apologize.

In this article, we will talk about how to write an apology letter to win back a client, or at least calm him down.

When to apologize?

Every time you mess up.

• Did not fulfill certain clauses of the contract or obligations assumed.
• You or your employees have violated business etiquette. Insulted the client or badly joked.
• You mistakenly sold an expired, defective, or poor-quality product.
• Force majeure circumstances arose that led to a violation of the terms of the contract.

Sometimes situations arise that you cannot influence and correct in time. But if this is your fault, you need to apologize.

1. Stand corrected

Of course, at the beginning of the letter you need to say hello and introduce yourself. Let's acknowledge the error.

This is important for the client. He needs to see that you really know about what happened sincerely and are sorry about it.

1. Talk about the consequences

Depending on the mistake you made, it is likely that the client suffered material losses.

Talk about it and ask how you can make amends. You want to keep the client. You need to make sure that he is happy again. To do this, you need to create a situation in which he feels that he has not lost anything. You reimbursed him.

1. Explain the reasons

Tell why it happened.

It may seem that this is not really important for the client. But this is how you show him that you really understood your cant and figured out the situation.

1. Report action taken

Tell the client what you have done so that this situation does not happen again with him or with other clients.

So he will see that you really care about your customers and take a responsible approach to work.

1. make amends

This is probably one of the most important steps. You need to make amends so that the client returns or at least stops being angry.

You can offer a discount, a gift, a bonus, or something else of value to the customer.

Moreover, the client should feel that you are doing this not so that he just gets rid of his negativity, but because you love customers and are ready to do everything possible so that they also love your company and do not experience negative emotions.

1. Call to action 🙂

Of course, this is not required. But we are copywriters. How without it?

At this point, you can invite the client for lunch, for a cup of coffee, or simply invite them to visit the office to discuss the situation and dot the “and”.

Or just ask them to write a reply letter and indicate the address where you will bring the gift as an apology.

Bad example of an apology letter

In preparing this article, I looked for examples of apology letters that other companies use. Here is one of the ones I found.

When reading this letter, I do not feel that the company is really repentant of the situation and admits its guilt. This text is not enough.

It's more like a template that the secretary prepared to send to dissatisfied customers every day, making some edits. For example, you can change the name, the situation, and this letter will fit every case with a dissatisfied client.

But it's a template. And patterns are always felt. They have no sincerity.

Better example

On another site, I found a template that stores can use when a shipment is delayed.

This letter contains an apology, an explanation of the reason, and a desire to make amends.

Better examples could not be found. Therefore, I decided to write my own version of an apology letter so that you can refer to it if necessary.

How Denis Kaplunov bought a printer

I thought for a long time what situation to choose in order to write an apology, and I remembered how two years ago Denis Kaplunov bought an excellent printer in the Eldorado store for his office.

For example, we could hold a printed commercial offer in our hands and read it, as customers do. On paper, things look different. We immediately see what needs to be corrected, removed or changed.

So. In the morning a satisfied Denis arrived at the office with a large box under his arm. It had an expensive printer. We couldn't connect it ourselves. Therefore, they called a specialist from the same store. He did it in three hours, and we began to print commercial proposals.

Everything was great until two days later the printer stopped working. He just made strange sounds, sometimes chewed paper, but there was no result.

Contact Eldorado. They fixed it. After two weeks, the printer refused to print again.

Again turned to Eldorado. Well, how did you get in touch. Denis went there and an hour later he brought a man from the store who was supposed to sort out the situation.

The master took the workplace of one of the designers and spent an hour poking around in the printer, pretending to be smart.

An hour later he got up and said that there was some problem with the needle. I took the printer to the store to check. He promised to let me know the result.

The result was zero information. Two weeks later, Denis went to the store again.

As a result, the printer was not returned to us. Denis wrote a long Facebook post about his love for this store.

An apology letter is one type of business letter. It is drawn up if the author wishes to apologize for any inconvenience caused to the addressee through his fault.

In order for the letter to be favorably received by the addressee, it must be sincere and not contain false information. It is not recommended to give all kinds of reservations or evasions, as well as to shift the blame on a third party. Only a frank admission of one's guilt is able to maintain further goodwill towards its compiler and, possibly, business contacts with him.

Writing rules

The best version of a letter of apology looks like this:

• expression of regret and deep concern in connection with the current situation;
• sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused;
• an explanation of the compiler's further actions aimed at eliminating the problem that has arisen and avoiding its recurrence in the future;
• a reminder of the great importance for the compiler of the fact of further joint cooperation with the addressee.

When composing a letter, phrases such as “We apologize for ...”, “Accept our sincere apologies ...”, “Let me apologize to you ...” or “Sincerely sorry that ...” are used as standard when composing a letter.

The design of the letter on the letterhead of the compiling enterprise is welcome. An apology is signed by the head of the company or another responsible person, for example, a deputy, acting or head of a department.

Maybe you made a mistake and want to fix it... Keep it up! Even if the mistake was not intentional, an apology letter is a good way to start correcting it, or help someone feel better. If you want to make sure your apology is effective and you don't cause more pain, then follow some of the tips below. To write a great apology, start with the first paragraph.

Steps

Part 1

State what you are writing about in the letter. It's a good idea to start by saying that this is an apology letter. This will help the reader to set themselves up emotionally in order to read the entire letter to the end. You do not need to keep him guessing about why you are writing at all and what you want to say.

• Write something like: "I wanted to write to you to apologize."

1. Point out your mistake. Now that you've indicated that you're apologizing, say what exactly you're apologizing for and why it was a mistake. Be very specific and to the point. By stating this openly, you will be able to convince that you understand what you have done.

   • For example, write something like this: “What happened last weekend was horribly inappropriate, disrespectful, and selfish of me. After proposing to Jessica, I turned all the attention to myself. I tried to steal your important moment and it was wrong."

2. Admit how much you offended them. Admit that you offended them and that you understand how humiliating it was. It's also a good point to note that you never had any intention of offending them.

   • Write something along the lines of: “Jacob told me that what happened not only ruined your feelings about the wedding, but made your honeymoon less enjoyable than it could have been. I hope you understand that this was not intentional on my part. I would like to go back and remember only the good things, but I ruined everything with my selfish behavior. I just robbed you of those good memories. Although I don’t know how you really are, I understand that what I did was the worst thing I could have done.”

3. Express your gratitude. If you want, although it is not necessary, you can highlight all the good things that have been done to you in the past. This will show that you really appreciate them, and that you really feel bad about what you did.

   • Write something like: “This is especially terrible for me after you warmly welcomed me into the family. You not only showed great love for my brother, but also gave me support and kindness that I could not even expect. By hurting you in this way, it just defiles everything you have done for me, and I hate myself for it.”

4. Take responsibility. This is the most important part of an apology, but also the most difficult. Even if a person has made some kind of mistake, then it is not worth recognizing it in a letter. You need to openly and unconditionally acknowledge your responsibility for what you have done. You may have had reasons for doing what you did, but that shouldn't stop you from admitting that you hurt someone.

   • Write something like this: “I would like to explain why I did this, but I have no excuse. My motives, though good ones, are not important here. I take full responsibility for my selfish behavior and for the pain I have caused you."
   • Instead of making excuses for your actions, you should carefully explain your arguments. You can explain why you made a particular choice if you think it is necessary or that it might improve the situation. This should only be done if you think that by doing so you can endear yourself to the person you offended.

5. Offer a solution that will lead to change. It's not enough to just say you're sorry. You need to find a way to solve the problem in the future, which can really be an impetus for an apology. It's even better than writing that it won't happen again. When you offer a plan for change and a description of how you will do it, you show the person that you really want to improve the situation.

   • Write something along the lines of: “Just apologizing is not enough. You deserve more. When you get home, Jessica and I would love to have a house party to celebrate your return. This will be the final party after all the celebrations and will be 100% dedicated to your love with my brother. If you don’t want to, then it’s okay, I just want to find a way to create for you those very beautiful memories that I took from you.

6. Indicate in the letter that you have a desire to have a better relationship in the future. Don't ask for forgiveness right off the bat. Thus, you make demands on the person you offended, whether you did it on purpose or not. It is worth expressing your present desire, which will help you to better interact with each other in the future.

   • Write something like: “I do not expect your forgiveness, although I sincerely hope so. What I want to say is that I really hope that everything will work out for us. I would like you to be comfortable, or even good, when we are together. I want to earn back the relationship that was between us. And I hope that in the future, we can forget about the past and create many happy moments together.”

   Part 2

   Proper apology

   1. Don't promise to change unless you are 100% sure that you can achieve it. It is very important. If you think you can repeat a similar mistake, or if this behavior is inherent in your personality or habits, then do not promise to change. Most likely, you will repeat what happened, and no one will believe in your future apologies.

      Be careful in your choice of words. Apologizing is an art. We, by nature, do not want to do this, and constantly struggle with it. Therefore, in order to apologize correctly, you need to choose the right words. Some words and phrases may sound like an apology, but in fact, they only make the situation worse, as they show that you are not sorry, in fact. You may be reluctant to use such words, so be careful when writing such a letter. Here are some examples:

      • “Mistakes were made…”
      • Sentences with "if": "I'm sorry if I offended you ...", "I'm sorry if you feel bad ..."
      • "I'm sorry you feel this way..."

   2. Be sincere and yourself. When you apologize, there must be sincerity and truth in the words. If you can't, then it's worth waiting until you actually repent and feel sorry for what you did. In an apology, you should avoid the official style and stereotypes. No need to just copy the email from the Internet. Your letter should reflect the specifics of the situation that happened, so that the person you are addressing understands that you are aware of your guilt and why it is bad.

      Drop all expectations and assumptions from your letter. You don't want it to sound demanding, rude, and even more offensive. You also don't want to look like an accuser in your apology. Don't make assumptions about how they feel or why they are upset. After all, this way you can show that you do not understand what exactly happened. When using certain words, it is better to keep a modest tone and the impression that it is not you who is in control, but the reader. These are the types of words that will help you achieve forgiveness.

      Wait a day or two before sending it. If possible, wait a day or two before sending the email. You will be able to re-read it in a less emotional state than you were before.

This is a business letter, which expresses a request to forgive for the late execution of the order, being late for a meeting, accounting errors, violations of the terms of the contract, etc.

So, realizing your guilt, you must certainly apologize and take all necessary measures so that such unfortunate incidents do not happen again. For example:

Dear Sirs! in a corporate concern.

. We do not at all justify our inattention and goiters "we are contacting to compensate you for the damage. We hope that. You will continue to use our services, and we will make every effort to avoid such unacceptable misunderstandings. Once again we apologize. Soyu ...

TYPICAL turnover

Apologies for the delay in the delivery of goods

1. Sorry for the delay in delivery of goods. This was our fault, sorry for the hassle.

2. Your order from (date) did not reach our transport department on time due to the fault of the office manager. We apologize for the delay in the goods and assure that in the future on. Your orders pay special attention to your respect.

3 employees who were responsible for the implementation. Your order made a mistake Apologies for the delay in delivery of goods

4. Our production department did not properly schedule the shipment of ordered goods and caused a delay. Please excuse us for the late completion. your order

5. Due to production difficulties, we were unable to ship the ordered items on time. you goods and sincerely sorry. you for delay

6. We have to ask. Sorry for your late completion. Your order from (date)

7. Carefully reviewed everything. your orders and made sure to make a mistake for which we hope. you excuse us

8. Once again, we apologize for the extra trouble. We hope that this misunderstanding will have a negative impact on our further relations and. You will continue to use the services of our company

9. We assure you that in the future we will make every effort to avoid such unpleasant omissions

Apologies for the delay in paying bills

1. Through negligence of bookkeeping. Your bills were not paid on time. Payment will be made??immediately. sorry for delay

2. Your invoice dated (date) was incorrectly recorded by our accounting department, and therefore it remained unpaid apologies for this unfortunate mistake, which we will correct immediately

3. Unfortunately, the bank did not fulfill our order to transfer in a timely manner. You money. We sincerely apologize (sorry) for the late payment

4. We are very sorry for that. Your last bill went unpaid for a long time. We sincerely apologize for this inattention.

5. Due to personnel changes in our accounting department, payment was made with a significant delay. Please forgive us

6. Moving our accounting department to a new office caused a delay in paying bills. We sincerely ask you to forgive us

7 apologies for the confusion in our accounting and we promise to be more careful in the future

8. We sincerely apologize. You for an unfortunate mistake that occurred due to the negligence of our employee

9. Thank you for the reminder of the unpaid invoice dated (date) that was incorrectly registered. Please excuse the fuzziness in the work of our employees. You need to worry once again (for Avdala. You need extra trouble).

10. After the phone call, we carefully reviewed the lists of unpaid bills and made sure that we made a mistake, for which, we hope. You will excuse us. We do not justify ours at all. Disrespectfulness, however hope that. You will continue to fulfill our orders.

11. Once again we apologize (apologies) for the delay in payment. And we assure you that in the future we will do everything possible to avoid such unfortunate omissions.

Apologies for being late for the meeting, delayed response

1. We sincerely apologize. You for being late for a meeting yesterday

2 I am very sorry (sincerely sorry) that such a long-awaited and important meeting for me did not take place

3. I sincerely apologize (sorry) for making me. You're wasting your precious time

4. I was convinced that our meeting was to take place on (date). Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused and ask, if possible, to schedule a second meeting at a convenient time for you. you time

5. I would be sincerely grateful if. You agree to meet again. I beg your pardon for what I did. trouble you

6. I am very embarrassed for being late for a meeting.

7. I apologize (sorry) for the delay in responding to. Your invitation to participate in. International conference dedicated to the problem

8. I am very sorry that I could not answer in time. Your invitation and thank you. you, but the thing is

9. We sincerely apologize for the delay in replying due to